A Graduation Speech To Me.

When I graduated from NYU, our commencement speech was give by… oh dear, I can’t remember who gave our speech! Was it Bill Cosby? Well, I guess it wasn’t very impactful, or I just couldn’t hear what was being said as were were in the middle of Washington Square Park in NYC (hardly a quiet place).

As there are loads of graduation speeches floating around the web right now, I thought I’d write a speech that I wish I’d give myself, back in the day.

You will often hear this:

“It is the process that matters. It is getting there, what you learn along the way and how, that shapes you into a better, more compassionate human being.”

The reality is this:

If you’re deeply ambitious, you’ll likely never feel satisfied as the beacon keeps moving further. You’ll keep striving, and feel as if you’re a failure because the beacon alludes you. Find a way to feel successful with achieving small goals, and leave the big goals to figure themselves out; big goals are achieved by doing a whole bunch of little goals.

You’ll often hear:

“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” -Milton Berle

The reality is this:

We are living in a time when we truly CAN build the door. Heck, we can build the entire house. But, building even a door can be nearly impossible alone. Ask for help! Getting help does not show weakness. To the contrary asking for help shows strength of character as it proves awareness of how small each of us are. It truly does take a village. Besides, nothing is more unappealing than a know-it-all.

You’ll often hear:

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” -Steve Jobs

The reality is this:

How in the hell do you find your own inner voice? I graduated more than a few years ago and I’m STILL listening for my inner voice to tell me what to do! I’m forever asking people how they figured it out. You’ll hear people suggest how you answer the following question is how you’ll find your inner voice:

Question: How would you spend a free Saturday?

If you answered I’d like to cook a fancy meal then maybe you should work in the food industry as an event manager?

If you answered I’d like to hike a mountain then maybe you should work in forestry as a park ranger?

If you answered I’d like to help paint a community center then maybe you should work as a community activist?